Guinness Withdraws Support From New York City St. Pat's Day Parade Over Anti-Gay Policy

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On Top Magazine Staff

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March 17, 2014

Facing mounting criticism and a planned
boycott for its sponsorship of New York City's St. Patrick's Day
parade, Guinness on Sunday pulled its support.

Organizers of the nation's oldest and
largest St. Patrick's Day celebration steadfastly refuse to allow gay
organizations to march in Monday's parade.

On Friday, Heineken
dropped its sponsorship of the parade, saying that it is
“passionate about equality for all people.” Mayor Bill de Blasio
earlier this month marched in a gay-inclusive parade and announced
that he would not participate in the city's St. Patrick's Day parade.

“Guinness has a strong history of
supporting diversity and being an advocate for equality for all,”
the beer company said in a statement. “We were hopeful that the
policy of exclusion would be reversed for this year's parade. As
this has not come to pass, Guinness has withdrawn its participation.
We will continue to work with community leaders to ensure that future
parades have an inclusionary policy.”

Guinness' announcement came shortly after Stonewall Inn – considered the birthplace of the modern
gay rights movement – said that it was removing Guinness products
from its shelves.

“Today, Guinness sent a strong
message to its customers and employees: discrimination should never
be celebrated,” GLAAD CEO & President Sarah Kate Ellis said in
a statement. “Hopefully, as parade organizers realize that
anti-LGBT discrimination is not supported by sponsors, or many Irish
New Yorkers, they'll see that families like mine should be part of
the celebration.”